But despite being one of the best young mathematicians in Australia, 16-year-old Knox Grammar student Seyoon Ragavan was still racked with nerves as he stepped into the exam room.

"I'd spent a fair bit of time over the day before to get my mind into the position where I'm not thinking about the competition, and other competitors," he said.

He was about to set pen to paper in the notoriously difficult International Mathematics Olympiad, the world's premier competition for secondary student mathematicians. Held last week in Thailand, the competition attracted almost 600 competitors from 104 countries.

Nerves clearly didn't upset his performance, though. Seyoon came away with a gold medal and placed 19th overall worldwide, ahead of hundreds of other bright young mathematicians.

"The highlight of the trip would have to be the result, both the team's and mine. It was that moment when the results came out and everyone on the team was really, really overwhelmed," he said.

"We were over the moon. Our leader, our deputies, everyone was absolutely thrilled."

The Australian team placed sixth in the world, its best result in 35 years and ahead of countries such as Russia, Canada, and Japan.

Australian Mathematics Trust executive director Mike Clapper, who oversees the selection and training of Australian Olympiad competitors, said it was the most exciting mathematical event he'd been involved with.

"The fact we can hold our place towards the head of the pack against countries with higher populations and lengthy traditions in maths is a credit to the students themselves and the trainers," he said.

The Olympiad exam was reportedly more difficult than previous years, but Seyoon said this helped Australia cement their top spot. Australian trainers had been preparing the competitors with "absurdly difficult" trial exams in the weeks running up to the event.

"At the end of the day, that saved us as a country because unexpected difficult questions toppled competitors from other countries and Australia held its ground," he said.

And though Seyoon has always been a talented mathematician, it was the Olympiad that first catalysed his love of maths.

"A genuine passion for maths and the beauty behind it only started forming when I pushed my boundaries into the Olympiad field. That passion and love has built up into what it is today," he said.

When he's not deep in the numbers, Seyoon loves music – singing and playing drums and Indian percussion instruments, which he calls a "good outlet" from the stress of competition.

Fellow Australian team member Alexander Gunning, from Glen Waverley Secondary College in Victoria, also scored gold and was ranked fourth in the world.

Adjunct Professor Clapper said the Olympiad, and related competitions and training, gave students the opportunity to extend themselves beyond the classroom.

"They're exposed to a variety of events, problem-solving techniques, they're stimulated to explore maths more beyond the school curriculum. They meet like-minded people and form some strong and enduring friendships," he said.

"It's not about harder school maths – it's about new ways of thinking about mathematics."

One of the IMO's most famous medallists is Terry Tao, who in 1988 received a gold medal at just 13, making him the youngest medal holder in the competition's history.

He went on to receive a Fields Medal, widely considered mathematics' highest honour, and is a chair of mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

If you fancy yourself as a maths whiz, you can take a look at the questions the Australian team tackled here.